Super Special Holiday Getaway
by cuz-CM's-awesome
Summary: Only hours before Penelope, Emily and Spencer are supposed to be making their way to Emily's parents Chalet in Whistler BC, for their Christmas Vacation, Emily informs Penelope that Derek is coming too. Penelope is less than excited upon hearing this new
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds, and I'm not making any profit off of this story. **

**A/N: This was written for the CCOAC Christmas challenge. My assigned pairing was Morgan/Garcia, and my prompts were: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas; cocoa with a candy cane in it; getting snowed in; someone wearing a Grinch sweatshirt or sweater. **

**When I saw the name of the Author I was supposed to be writing this for, I had to do a double take. Fanatical Writer is one of my favorite Criminal Minds writers; seriously she is in my top three. So I was like 'Yeah I get to do a fic for Fanatical Writer!' and then a few seconds later 'Ah! I have to do a fic for Fanatical Writer!' I don't know how to measure up to her stories, but I did my best. I know she likes AU's so I decided to try something new, I hope it turns out alright. **

**Summary: Only hours before Penelope, Emily and Spencer are supposed to be making their way to Emily's parents Chalet in Whistler BC, for their Christmas Vacation, Emily informs Penelope that Derek is coming too. Penelope is less than excited upon hearing this news, as she and Derek Morgan have never gotten along. **

**Rating: T for now, might end up being M depnding on what readers want. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

Penelope stepped off the elevator wearing a white dress covered in a red maple leaf print. Her cherry red heels clicked on the floor as she stepped out, wheeling her matching red suitcase behind her.

A smile spread across her face as the elevator doors closed behind her and she saw Emily walk out of the bullpen.

She watched as Emily's eyes widened when she saw her friend, and quickly hurried over to her.

"You sure went all out" Emily said with a laugh.

"Well of course, I couldn't go visiting Canada for the first time without the proper outfit, that would be un-Garcia of me" Penelope supplied.

Emily shook her head "Only you Pen…"

Penelope just smirked "So is everything ready for our Super Special Holiday Getaway?" she asked.

Emily's smile disappeared and she bit her lip, looking worriedly at Penelope.

"Oh no! Please don't say Boss Man is reneging on our week off and we have to go on a brutal, icky case instead!" Penelope pleaded; voicing the biggest fear she had had since finding out they had the week of Christmas off a month ago.

"No," Emily said "It's nothing like that; we'll still be able to go."

Penelope let out a deep breath "Thank Goodness!" she said.

But Emily still looked slightly uncomfortable and Penelope knew whatever her friend was going to tell her, did not bode well for their Christmas Vacation.

"Okay," Penelope said "Just tell me, I can't take not knowing!"

"Right," Emily said, taking a deep breath "well I was in the break room this morning, getting my morning coffee, when Spencer walked in. Derek was already there, he had just finished pouring his own coffee when I came in. Spencer grinned at me and said…"

"_Hey Em, I've got everything ready to go for after work, are we still planning to leave for the airport at five?" _

"_Yep," Emily said taking a sip of her coffee "I have my bags in my office and I've already called an airport taxi so that it will be waiting for us out front." _

"_An airport taxi?" Derek questioned, giving his team mates a questioning look "Where are you guys going?" _

_Before Emily could say anything Spencer piped up "We're going to Emily's parent's Chalet in Whistler BC, for our week away!" _

"_Together, by yourselves?" Derek asked. _

"_Oh no," Spencer said "Garcia is coming too. Emily sent out an e-mail asking if anyone else would like to come, Neither Hotch nor JJ could make it because they are spending Christmas with their families, and Rossi said he doesn't do snow at Christmas if he can help it. Didn't you get the email?" _

"_No, I didn't," Derek said, his gaze moving swiftly to Emily. _

"_Really? I sent it to you," Emily lied swiftly, trying to be convincing. Truthfully she hadn't invited Derek. It wasn't that she had anything against him but she knew that Penelope would kill her if she invited him too. The two just had never gotten along. _

_Derek frowned and shook his head "Not that I know of." _

_Emily got the distinct feeling that he knew she was lying. _

_Trying to make things better she quickly blurted "Oh…Well maybe I typed your email incorrectly or something, sorry! But you can still come if you like. I mean I know it is short notice and all, but the invitation is there, as long as you can get a flight booked." _

_Derek considered the offer for a moment. "Hmm…it would definitely be more fun than what I had planned on doing for the week." _

_Emily nodded "Yeah, it's going to be loads of fun. The Chalet is quite large, so there's plenty of room, and there's a lot to do. There's skiing or snowboarding, lots of bars and restaurants, and cool shops. I can guarantee you'll never be bored." _

"_Yeah, that sounds great; I'm just going to work on that flight issue…" Derek said, grinning at Emily and walking out of the room. _

_Emily watched him go "Oh Penelope is not going to be happy about this." _

"_What?" Spencer asked "Why?" _

_Emily gave him a 'You've got to be kidding me look' then shook her head and walked away, leaving a very confused Spencer standing alone in the break room. _

Penelope gaped at her friend.

"You did what?"

"Listen I'm sorry, I know you and Derek don't always get along but…."

"Don't always get along? We're like arch-enemies!"

Emily shook her head "Well maybe you'll be able to get to know him better on this trip, Then you could be best buddies."

"Like that's going to happen" Penelope said rolling her eyes.

"Well I can't just uninvited him" Emily said.

"Why did you invite them in the first place?" Penelope asked, hands on hips.

Emily glared at her "I couldn't just tell him that he was the only one on the team purposely uninvited. I know you don't like Derek but that doesn't mean I want to jeopardize my relationship with him. We're friends, and a team, I don't want some stupid holiday messing that up."

Penelope pouted, she knew Emily was right, it wasn't fair of her to ask her friend to uninvited Morgan, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Well there's still hope he won't get a flight, right?" Penelope asked, cheering up a bit "I mean it's the week of Christmas, it's impossible to get flights now."

"Actually, he already booked one" Emily stated.

"What…?" Penelope asked, that just couldn't be possible.

"Apparently he has some connections at the airport and he's already planning to run home at lunch and quickly pack a bag for the week." Emily explained.

"That's just…typical Morgan…" Penelope grumbled "I bet he just used some of his 'charm' and all the ladies swooned, coming to his every beck and call. With the amount of woman Morgan has dated, I wouldn't be surprised if more than one of them worked at the airport."

"Pen, don't you think that's a little farfetched?" Emily asked.

"For Morgan, not a chance" Penelope said.

"So, do you not want to go anymore?" Emily asked.

Penelope took a moment but then shook her head, however she didn't look happy "No, I still want to go, I already paid for the ticket, and I'm not gonna be out $700 just because Morgan decided to tag along like an annoying parasite, attaching itself to an unsuspecting victim"

"That's…kind of the spirit," Emily said "besides I bet we'll barely even see him, the resort is huge."

Penelope sighed, she didn't see how their vacation could possibly be as good as she had planned it to be for the last two weeks, now that Morgan was coming but she was determined to not allow the likes of Derek Morgan to ruin her Holiday.


	2. Chapter 2

**Don't Own. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

"Are you going to spend the whole flight glaring at the back of the seat in front of you?" Emily whispered quietly to Penelope who was sitting beside her on the plane.

The blonde was pulled out of her thoughts and she blinked up at Emily "…huh?" she asked.

Emily sighed, "Listen, I know this wasn't how you planned it to be," she said, making sure to keep her voice down. Derek had just got up to go to the washroom, but she still didn't want there to be any chance of him hearing her. "But it's honestly not the end of the world…"

Penelope opened her mouth to protest but Emily continued before she could say anything.

"Just let me finish. This Holiday isn't going to be any less fun just because Derek is here. In fact if you gave him a chance you'd see just how much fun Derek can make a situation…"

"That is not going to happen" Penelope butted in.

Emily shook her head "Fine," she stated "but you're not going to be a Grumpy Gus the whole trip are you? That really won't be any fun. Both Spencer and Derek have already noticed how much of a bad mood you are in and frankly, you're going to end up making everyone uncomfortable."

Penelope bit her lip; she hadn't realized how transparent she was being. Well really, she was with a group of profilers, so she should have known better.

Quickly she glanced over at Spencer; he was sitting beside Emily, on the aisle seat, and was trying to make it look like he wasn't paying any attention to their conversation. However Penelope knew him better than that, and she could also tell that he was looking a little uncomfortable.

Penelope sighed as she moved her gaze back to Emily. She knew what it was like to have a party pooper in a group and she really didn't want to be that person. Especially if it was going to ruin Emily or Spencer's holiday, really, it was a rarity working in the BAU to even get a week off. There was no way she was going to ruin that for her friends.

"You're right," Penelope said to Emily "No more Grumpy Gus, we're going to have an awesome time, no matter who's with us!"

At that moment Derek came back from the bathroom and was making his way to his seat. He looked over at Penelope with a frown and she blushed as she realized just how loud she had exclaimed that.

Clamping her mouth shut she turned away from Derek and look out of her window, hoping that her blush would fade quickly.

She didn't know why she felt bad that Morgan might have heard her, really she didn't need to spare the macho profiler's feelings, and yet she couldn't help wishing she had said that just a little bit quieter.

Derek, who had only been able to get a seat a few rows ahead of them, just shook his head and sat down.

He had suspected all along that Emily really hadn't sent him that email, and he could only guess that it was because of Garcia. Now after that exclamation, he was sure.

Derek didn't know what exactly he had done to the woman to make her hate him so. She had never been friendly to him, in fact the first day he had met her she had totally given him the cold shoulder.

He really didn't understand it. After watching how she interacted with the rest of the team, he thought that they would have gotten along really well together, if she would only just give him a chance. However no matter how nice or friendly he tried to be, she just wouldn't warm up to him.

After a year or so, he had stopped trying. Now they normally just ignored each other, only speaking when they absolutely had to.

Well he was going to try and have a good time, whether Garcia wanted him there or not.

…

A few hours later Penelope hurriedly made her way out of one of the bathrooms at the Whistler Airport.

"I hate public restrooms," she announced to Emily, Spencer and Derek had gone to buy coffee at a kiosk near the exit. "They are better than having to use the ones on the plane, but still I'd rather not have to use them at all."

Emily shrugged; she never really minded using public restrooms.

Penelope just shook her head, smoothing down the front of her dress at the same time.

"Are you ready to go?" Emily asked.

"Yes," Penelope answered.

"Good," Emily said and then led Penelope over to the coffee kiosk "I'd like to get going because we still need to pick up the rental car and it's at least an hour's drive from here to the Chalet, I'm hoping to get there before it gets dark."

"You two ready?" Emily asked once they reached Spencer and Derek.

"Yep," Spencer said, he had his back to them, facing the counter as he waited for their order. He turned around and handed them each a cup of coffee, then reached to pick up his and Derek's which were still sitting on the counter.

Derek came over after paying and took his coffee from Spencer "Are we ready to head out?" he asked after taking a sip of his coffee.

"Yes, we just need to pick up the rental," Emily said and then gestured for them to follow her. "Oh, and thanks for the coffee Derek" Emily added as they walked out the door and headed towards the parking garage.

Penelope stopped and frowned at Derek, she hadn't realized that he had paid for the coffee. She opened her mouth to say something about how she didn't need or want him paying for her coffee just to bump up his ego, but flattered as she remembered what Emily had said to her on the plane.

Both Spencer and Derek stopped and looked back at her when they realized she had stopped following them. Derek arched a brow at her and Spencer looked confused. Penelope's cheeks flushed bright red and then she choked out a barely audible "Thanks for the coffee." Then she quickly hurried to catch up with Emily, leaving a shocked Derek behind.

He wondered what had gotten into the tech, as that was the nicest thing she had ever said to him.

…

"Here we are!" Derek announced as he pulled into the long driveway of the Chalet and turned off the engine.

The driving conditions had been good and they had made it to the Chalet in just less than 50 minutes. Derek had driven with Emily sitting beside him in the front giving directions. Both Penelope and Spencer had fallen asleep in the back of the car.

He peered out of the windshield and looked up at the humongous Chalet, it was practically mansion sized. It was built into the hillside; Derek guessed that once they got inside they would find it overlooked the Whistler Village which was only a ten minute drive away. Sitting among the snow covered tree tops, the wood paneled residence had a warm and welcoming feel to it.

"Hmm…" Derek heard from the back seat and turned to see Spencer and Penelope still half asleep curled up next to each other. Penelope's hair was mused and her eye makeup was slightly smudged. She had a peaceful smile on her face as she began to wake up, she gave a cat like stretch and then her eyes slowly opened, her baby blues blinked up at him sleepily.

Derek thought Penelope looked stunning in that moment, and couldn't help the twinge of attraction that settled in his stomach. Quickly he remembered just who he was the looking at, the woman had been a pain in his ass for five years now. He quickly shook away the feeling and announced again, more loudly this time "We're here." Then he turned away from Penelope and got out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him and effectively brining the two sleepyheads in the back to full awareness.

Derek moved to the trunk of the car to help Emily get their luggage out.

"Oh My Gosh Em, it's so beautiful here!" Penelope cried as she stepped out of the car a few seconds later.

Spencer's door opened more slowly and then the young genius was stepping out of the car, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

His eyes widened when he looked up at the Chalet and the only word that escaped his lips was a quiet "Wow."

"I know right?" Penelope said cheerily, "This place is even more amazing that you described it, I can't wait to get inside!"

With that, Penelope grabbed her bag from Derek who had just taken it out of the trunk, beamed a smile at all three profilers, then grabbed Emily's arm and hurriedly pulled her friend along.

Derek watched as they ascended the stairs leading to the Chalet entrance, he shook his head in amusement and then he and Spencer got the last of their belongings from the trunk and followed the girls.

…

**A/N: So what do you think, should I leave the rating at a T or would you guys prefer it to be M? **


	3. Chapter 3

**Don't Own. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

Penelope let out a satisfied sigh as she relaxed into the warm water of the whirlpool bathtub. The quiet humming of the jets was making her sleepy and she couldn't help but let her head fall back as the eight jets in the tub gently massaged her body.

They had been at the Chalet for two days now and Penelope was loving every minute of it.

The Chalet itself was gorgeous; it had a fully-equipped gourmet kitchen, a spacious dinning and lounging area and four bedrooms, each connected to their own personal bathroom. One of which Penelope was currently enjoying.

With another sigh Penelope closed her eyes and began to drift off. She, Emily and Spencer had just gotten back from a shopping trip forty minutes ago. They had been shopping all morning in Whistler Village and had come back to get something to eat for lunch.

While they had been in the Village Spencer had seen a sign for a Winter Wonderland Art Exhibition that was going to be on in the afternoon. He had suggested that they go to it and seemed excited by the prospect. Emily was happy to go but Penelope's feet were aching after walking around shopping for over 3 hours, and didn't fancy spending time walking around looking at art. However she didn't want to spoil Spencer's fun, so she told him and Emily to go without her, and then suggested that they meet up for dinner instead.

Both Emily and Spencer had agreed and after having some lunch had made their way back to the Village.

Derek had left earlier that afternoon; he told them that he was going to one of the Sports Bars at the Village that they had passed by the night before on their way to dinner. Emily had invited him to go shopping with them before they had left that morning but to Penelope's delight he said that shopping wasn't really his thing and that he was planning on watching a football game instead.

Penelope didn't understand why he would want to trek 3 miles through the cold snow to get to the sports bar when the Chalet had a perfectly good 50inch Toshiba HDTV and plenty of cold beer in the fridge.

Her best guess was that he wasn't only going to watch the game, but to hopefully get lucky as well. Penelope had never known Derek to walk into a bar and walk out without a lady on his arm. Not that she visited bars with him frequently, but every once in a while the entire team would go out and she would have to watch Derek put on his cocky charm and flirt with all the pretty girls at the bar.

But Penelope didn't care if Derek wanted to spend his time away from them; it suited her just fine to not have to spend any time with him.

Penelope woke up with a start a few hours after falling asleep in the bathtub. She groaned as she looked at the clock above the door, it was already 5:30 and she had promised to meet Spencer and Emily at the Aubergine Grill at 6:30. She must have been asleep for over two hours, and now she only had an hour to get ready and get down there, she would have to hurry.

…

Derek opened the door to the Chalet and a blast of cold wind blew snow into the hallway as he stepped inside. Quickly he turned and pushed the door closed, shutting out the whistling of the wind through the trees.

Derek shook the snow off of his shoulders and rubbed his cold hands together, in foresight he should have worn gloves but when he had left it had been sunny and cool so he didn't think he would have need of them.

Since then the weather had changed drastically. It had begun to snow while he was at the bar and a special broadcast had interrupted the football game, saying that there was a big storm heading their way and that people should prepare to stay inside.

Derek didn't want to be stuck at the bar the whole night and decided to chance taking a taxi back to the Chalet. The Weather hadn't been that bad when he had left the bar, but by the time the taxi had dropped him off he could barely see a foot in front of him and had to stumble to the door.

Taking off his winter jacket and placing it by the furnace to dry, Derek stepped out of his boots and walked into the living room calling out for the rest of the gang, he hoped that they were safely in the Chalet rather than out in that horrible storm.

"Reid! Prentiss! Garcia!" Derek called loudly, the Chalet was silent and he began to fear that his friends weren't there.

Then from down the hall, Penelope's bedroom door opened and she stepped out angrily. She was in a pink robe and her hair was up in curlers, her face was flushed and she glared at him "What are you yelling about?" she asked, hands on her hips.

Derek had to forcefully draw his eyes up to her face as he could see her ample breasts poking out of the top of her robe.

Derek swallowed and willed himself not to become aroused, he looked into her face instead and explained "I was trying to figure out if anyone was here."

"Well clearly yes, I am, but I will be leaving in twenty minutes," she stated, turning to go back into her bedroom.

"I don't think that will be happening," he said.

"And why not?" Penelope demanded.

"Have you looked outside?" Derek asked, annoyed by her tone.

With a frustrated sigh Penelope hurried past Derek to the window that overlooked the Village and then let out a gasp.

Snow was falling quickly outside the window, the snow and raging wind together obscured Penelope's vision and all she could see was white. The world looked bleak on the other side of the window.

She turned around and looked at Derek.

"It started to snow just as I was leaving the bar, there was a snow storm warning issued, it interrupted the game and I didn't really fancy staying at the bar all night. I took a chance and got a cab to drop me off, the driving is really bad, and so I was hoping that you guys would be here. I definitely wouldn't want to get stuck out there in this storm." Derek explained.

"Oh my god!" Penelope cried, turning back to look out the window "I hope Emily and Spencer are okay! They went to an Art Exhibit in the Village earlier and I had planned to meet them for dinner in twenty minutes!"

Derek looked out the window once more too and shook his head, he hoped his friends were somewhere safe when the storm had hit.

"I should call them to see if they are alright," Penelope said hurrying into the kitchen and grabbing the cordless phone from its charger on the counter.

Derek watched as her fingers frantically dialed and then she began pacing as she held the phone up to her ear. He watched as she began to look distressed, she took the phone from her ear and then redialed.

A moment later she slammed the phone down on the counter and then rubbed her eyes, she looked like she was about to cry.

"There's no service! All I'm getting is the dial tone!" Penelope said shakily. "What if they weren't inside when the storm hit? What if they had decided to come back and pick me up instead of meeting at the restaurant like we planned? What if right now they are trekking through the snow, unable to see and freezing to death?"

Derek thought she was being dramatic but it was obvious to him that she deeply cared for Spencer and Emily, the concern was written all over her face.

"Well there' nothing for it, I'll just have to go and look for them myself!" she announced as she made a beeline for the door, still dressed in only her flimsy bathrobe.

Derek stared at her disbelievingly, there was no way Garcia could honestly believe that she could actually make it down to the Village in a storm like this, especially with the way she was dressed.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when Penelope grasped the doorknob and tried to pull the door open.

Derek rushed to her, his hand coming down to cover hers and keep the door closed "You can't go out there; you'd never make it to the Village! You'd only be putting yourself in danger too."

Penelope glared "Well what about Emily and Spencer?" she huffed "We can't just leave them out there!"

"How long ago did they leave?" Derek asked, trying to think of a way to reason with Garcia, who had a determined 'You can't stop me no matter what you say or do' look on her face.

The question caused Penelope to let go of the doorknob as she thought about her answer, which allowed Derek to step in front of her to make sure he was blocking her escape.

"It was at least…three hours ago" Penelope stated.

"Well see," Derek said "they're probably fine. They must have already been in the Village when the storm hit, and they are both smart, highly trained agents, they would have known to get somewhere safe."

The determined look on Penelope's face lessened slightly "You think so?"

"Of course," Derek said "I mean we are dealing with Reid, who is a genius. Plus they're probably safest in the Village. I mean the people who work there are equipped to handle situations like these, they must have snow storms hit all of the time here."

Penelope began to relax.

"And besides, we couldn't get to the Village even if I was willing to let you go" Derek said.

Penelope looked at him questioningly.

Derek pointed to the rectangular window that sat directly above the door; he had gotten a chance to look out of it as he had moved in front of Garcia, "We're snowed in." Derek explained.

"What?" Penelope said disbelievingly, standing on her tippy toes and leaning against Derek to look out of the window.

Her pressing against him, reminded him just exactly what she was wearing as he could feel her firm breasts pressed against his chest, separated only by a small layer of clothes, and he began to feel a stirring in his jeans.

Penelope pulled away from him, he had been right; the snow was piled up against the door. There was enough of it to make it difficult for even Morgan to get past; there was no way that she would be able to get through it.

She sighed; they would have to wait until after the storm passed to figure out what had happened to Spencer and Emily.

Derek cleared his throat and she looked up at him.

"Why don't you go put on something comfortable and I'll make us some hot cocoa?" he suggested.

Penelope looked down at herself and blushed; she had totally forgotten that she was wearing just her robe. It was a good thing she hadn't gotten the door open or she would have frozen where she stood.

Penelope now felt exposed standing in front of Morgan, with her robe gaping slightly open at the top. Without really thinking Penelope muttered "Yeah, that sounds good" and hurried off to her room.

She never in a million years thought that Derek Morgan would offer to make her hot cocoa, or that she would ever accept, but she was too flustered to think clearly at the moment.

Derek let out a groan and willed away his erection as he watched her butt sway as she hurried to her room. He had to stop thinking these thoughts about Garcia; they would never come to anything.

Derek shook his head and then made his way into the kitchen to make the hot cocoa.


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't Own. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy! **

…

After changing into something comfy and taking the curlers out of her hair, she walked out into the living room to be met with the delicious smell of hot cocoa with just a hint of mint.

"That smells good" she said honestly as she came into the view of the kitchen. She figured that if she had to be stuck with Morgan until the snow storm had ended, she should at least try to be nice.

As hard as it was for her to admit, she would rather have him there with her than be there snowed in alone with a raging storm outside. She didn't want to anger him into leaving, even if they would just end up in separate rooms, because if she was being truthful she would have to admit that she was fearful of the storm and didn't want to be by herself.

Penelope plunked down onto the couch as Derek walked out of the kitchen carrying two steaming mugs of the hot cocoa. There was a candy cane hanging on the inside of the cup that he handed to her.

"Thanks," she said taking the cup from his hands and inhaling the lovely scent.

"You're Welcome" he said civilly, sitting down beside her. He put his own mug on the coffee table in front of them, then he turned to look at her and frowned.

"Now that sweater just doesn't fit" he stated as he took in the green Grinch sweater she was wearing. She also had on a pair of grey sweatpants, which was strange to him since he had never seen her in anything but a skirt or dress, not even jeans.

Penelope looked down at her sweater and then back up at him. Her first reaction was to take offensive but before she could say anything Derek continued.

"I would think you'd have a Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, or some other loveable Christmas character on your sweater because the Grinch just doesn't fit your personality. There's nothing Grinch like about you" Derek said, shaking his head with a small smile.

Penelope was stunned at first, and then she laughed "After how I've treated you the past few years, I would think you'd have thought it was a perfect characterization."

Derek didn't respond for a moment, before saying quietly "We obviously don't know each other at all."

"Well we never have gotten along" Penelope stated.

"Because you never gave me a chance" Derek responded.

Penelope gaped at him "I…that's not…" she stopped her stuttering and shook her head "Okay, I might not have given you a chance, but as soon as I met you I knew your type and I didn't need someone like that in my life, be it as a friend or just an acquaintance."

"Oh really?" Derek asked "and what's my type, may I ask?"

"A player," Penelope said matter-of-factly.

"Okay, maybe I was a bit of a player when we first met but…" Derek began but Penelope cut him off.

"A bit, and when we first met? You're joking right?" Penelope asked "You were the biggest player I've ever met and you're still a cocky, egotistical, self-centered jerk!"

"Oh, is that right?" Derek asked, getting annoyed, Garcia didn't know him at all. "Tell me, when was the last time I acted like a player…when was the last time you saw me hitting on a woman?"

"That's easy…" Penelope began but quickly realized that she had to think about it "Um…well what about today?"

Derek arched a brow "What do you mean what about today?"

"Why when we have a perfectly good TV and perfectly good beer here too, did you need to walk 3 miles in the snow to get to a bar to watch the game? Are you sure it was just the game you wanted to see, or did you have something else on your mind?"

Derek rolled his eyes in annoyance and said "You're infuriating Garcia."

"So I was right then?" Penelope asked with a smirk.

"No," Derek said "you weren't. I didn't want to watch the game here because, well it didn't have the right atmosphere."

"Sorry?" Penelope asked, disbelievingly.

Derek sighed and ran a hand over his head. "No one here likes football, definitely not Reid and Prentiss had no interest in watching the game...You need the right atmosphere in order to really enjoy the game. I didn't want to watch it by myself."

Penelope actually understood what he meant, and even though she wasn't a profiler herself, she somehow knew he was telling the truth.

"I know you probably don't believe me…" Derek continued since Penelope hadn't replied.

"No, I get it." Penelope said.

Derek frowned "You do?"

"Mmm hmm," Penelope began "After growing up with four big brothers who all played on their High School and College teams, you grow to have an understanding of the sport. Especially after going to most of their practices, all of their games, to their victory parties and getting together every Football Sunday to watch the game." Penelope shook her head "Football was a big thing in my family, so I understand that it's not really a sport you watch by yourself. I get the atmosphere thing."

"I didn't know you had brothers" Derek said when she was finished explaining.

That was not what she had expected him to say and was now lost for words.

Finally she stated "Well as you said, we really don't know each other very well."

"Yeah…" Derek said trailing off, looking away and taking a sip of his hot cocoa.

"So, you didn't go to the bar to pick up women," Penelope stated "does that mean you're not a player anymore?"

Derek looked at her seriously "No, and I haven't considered myself a player for quite a few months now."

Penelope looked at him disbelievingly and then snorted "Derek Morgan, not a player, what's the world coming to? And here I thought you didn't know how to be anything but."

Derek glared at her "You know what?" he said, beginning to stand up "I think I might just take my hot cocoa and go watch TV in my room."

Penelope looked up at him and realized that she had actually hurt his feelings, if that was even possible. She really was being rather insensitive.

"No wait," she said holding up her hand in a peaceful gesture "I'm sorry, that was rude. It's just hard to think of you not as a player, but if I think about it I really haven't seen you hit on any women in a while."

Derek looked down at her, trying to figure out if her apology was genuine, once he decided it was he sat back down.

"So, why the change?" Penelope asked trying to be non-judgmental.

"I've decided I want to settle down" Derek said honestly.

Penelope stared at him for a moment; she never thought she would hear those words come out of his mouth.

"Really?" she finally asked, honestly curious now.

"Yes." Derek said.

"But why?" Penelope asked again, she just couldn't understand it.

Derek sighed and ran his hand over his face, this was hard for him but he decided to tell Garcia the truth. He didn't know why, it wasn't like he would normally tell her anything personal; but he just wanted her to understand. However it was hard to tell something so personal to someone that he barely got along with, he hadn't even told anyone else on the team before.

But he decided to go out on a limb and tell Garcia the truth and hope that she would understand rather than throw it back in his face one day.

After a long silence Derek finally said "One year before I joined the BAU I actually was in a committed, serious relationship, we were even planning to get married. But then four months before the wedding I walked into our bedroom to find her sleeping with, my now, ex-best friend…"

Penelope's eyes widened at Derek's words but for once she kept her mouth shut and let him continue.

"I called off the wedding, asked for a transfer and basically cut off all my old ties, moving to Virginia after I found out that there was a position open on the team. After my almost wedding I thought that obviously having a serious relationship wasn't worth it and I didn't want to have to go through anything like it ever again. So I started flirting and sleeping with as many women as I possibly could, as soon as I felt like a relationship was getting serious I would break it off and find someone else."

Derek ran a hand over his head, feeling strangely light as he got everything off of his chest, even if it was Garcia who he was telling.

"But lately, in the past year or so, I've found that my life it strangely unsatisfied. I knew it wasn't my job so it had to be my social life. It took me a long time to finally admit to myself that I'm lonely. That I want someone special to spend the rest of my life with, so that's why I've stopped my serial flirting."

Penelope was silent for a long time, she felt awful. She wished he hadn't told her because she now had no justified reason for being a jerk to him for so many years. Even thinking about how he had treated her this evening she realized that there was obviously more to Derek than she had ever given him credit for. To now find out that the only reason for his player act was because of a broken heart, just made her wish she could crawl into a hole and never come out for all the horrible things she had ever said to him.

She had judged him, like judging a book by its cover and she hated when people did that to her.

Derek was becoming nervous because of her silence. Had he made a mistake? Should he not have told her? Did she think he was just trying to get sympathy from her and would now hate him even more?

"I'm sorry…" Penelope began.

"Don't, it was a long time ago" Derek said cutting her off.

"No," Penelope said "I'm sorry that I judged you without even knowing you. You were right; I never gave you a chance because I thought you would be like all the other players I had ever met. But you're not, I can't believe it took me a few days away from the BAU to see it, but it's obvious. You've tried to be nice, you calmed me down when I was worried about Emily and Spencer, you stopped me from going outside and freezing to death and you made me hot cocoa. You didn't have to do any of those things but you did anyway."

Derek just shrugged.

"I've met a lot of players in my life Derek," Penelope said, calling him by his first name for the first time ever. "I grew up with three of them. My oldest brother, Preston was the biggest player around. I loved him but I saw the girls he dated and how he broke their hearts without even a care in the world. When I met you the first thing you did was hit on me, with a cheesy line, one that I had heard my brother use many times and right then I stereotyped you and decided I didn't want to have anything to do with you."

Penelope was shaking her head "It seems I should have given you more of a chance because apparently there is more to you than I would have expected."

That was a lot for Derek to take in all at once, but he could tell by the sad expression on Penelope's face that she meant what she had said.

"Maybe we could start again…" Derek said, making a split second decision, and then before Penelope could answer he said "What's your favorite football team?"

Penelope looked at him awestruck; she couldn't believe he was willing to forgive her so easily after all the years she had been an ass to him.

But she decided that if he was willing to forgive her, she better just go for it "The Jets" she said, smiling at his stubble way of offering a truce "What about you?"

"Chicago Bears of course," Derek stated, starting off their conversation, where they discussed anything and everything, from their families, to Christmas traditions they had, and about five years of things that had gone unsaid.


	5. Chapter 5

**Don't Own. **

**Please R&R **

**Enjoy!**

…

Penelope had just finished telling Derek about the time her parents had taken her and her brothers to Costa Rica the summer before her oldest brother was supposed to go to College.

She told him how her father hadn't brought enough underwear and being the penny pincher that he was, started washing the pairs he did have in the sink. However since he didn't have a proper dryer in the room and didn't want to pay to use the hotel's laundry mat, he decided to use the rental car and roll the windows up on them, then when they would drive anywhere the underwear would dry flapping in the wind.

Penelope laughed as she told Derek how when she and her brothers had protested his idea since it was rather embarrassing to have underwear flapping in the wind outside your car, her father had just said "Well sometimes you've got to do things you normally wouldn't to save money."

By the time she had finished her story Derek was laughing so hard that he had to wipe tears from his eyes.

When he looked back at Penelope she was grinning. She picked up her mug of cocoa and drained the last of it. Then she picked up the candy cane from the side of the cup and sucked it into her mouth.

Instantly Derek felt a tightening in his jeans as he watched her suck and lick on the candy cane. It was, quite possibly, the most sensual thing he had ever seen.

Pulling his eyes away he jumped to his feet, startling Penelope.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I need a drink" Derek said thinking quickly.

Penelope looked over at his unfinished mug on the table as he made his way to the kitchen.

"What about your cocoa?" she asked.

"I think I'm going to need something stronger than that" Derek answered.

Penelope stared after him in confusion, but then shook her head and went back to eating her candy cane.

While Derek was in the Kitchen looking through the fridge for a cold beer, the lights flickered and then went off completely.

He heard Penelope scream and stubbed his toe in the dark as he hurriedly tried to make his way back to the living room. He cursed as his big toe throbbed, but continued into the living room anyway.

He could see Penelope's outline on the couch and let out a sigh of relief once he realized that she was okay.

"It's okay Garcia," he said "the power has just gone out."

"Sorry for screaming, but I don't like the dark" Penelope whispered.

Derek looked around the dark room trying to figure out how to add some light to it "Wait here" he said to Penelope, getting an idea.

"Wait!" Penelope said "Where are you going?"

"Don't worry, I'll be right back" Derek said and then carefully made his way to the hall closet.

Penelope sat curled up in a ball, trying to keep herself calm as she listened carefully for any sound.

A few minutes later Derek came back with a box in his arms that was full of supplies. Emily had told them on the first day where the emergency kit was kept.

Penelope let out a squeak as Derek appeared in front of her without a sound.

"Sorry," he said as he set the box down on the table "I didn't mean to scare you."

Then he handed her a blanket and walked over to the fireplace with matches and some newspaper in his hand. There was already some fresh pieces of wood sitting in the fireplace so all Derek had to do was put in the newspaper and light it.

He blew on the flame that he had placed under the pieces of wood and waited for it to catch fire. He grinned once one of the logs had begun burning. He stood up and placed the grate before the fireplace and made his way back to the couch.

The fireplace admitted a soft glow to the room and Derek smiled at Penelope "Any better?" he asked.

"Yes lots, thank you" Penelope answered, wrapping the blanket he had given her around herself.

"No problem," Derek said, "now I'm just going to grab my beer."

"No!" Penelope practically shouted grabbing his arm "please don't leave me."

Derek looked down at her hand on his arm and then up at her face.

She blushed and pulled away "Sorry" she said.

"It's okay," he stated "I'll stay, don't worry."

Penelope relaxed as Derek grabbed his own blanket and then sat back down beside her.

"It's so quiet," Penelope whispered after a moment, not liking the silence at all.

Derek could tell she was uncomfortable, he sat forward and reached into the box on the table, he thought he had seen something earlier when he had first opened the box that might help them out.

It was hard to see with only the light from the fire but after a moment Derek found what he was looking for "Here it is."

Penelope tried to make out what Derek had pulled out.

"It's a crank radio" Derek explained, "You have to crank it up in order to get it started, but then it runs without batteries or having to be plugged in."

Derek started cranking it, moving the hand-crank faster and faster, he turned it at least forty times. Then he placed the radio on the table and pressed the ON button, mentally crossing his fingers, hoping that it would work.

Thankfully the little radio crackled and came to life, at first they could only hear static, but with a little fiddling of the dial they were able to find an FM station.

The station was playing Christmas music and Derek went to change it but Penelope stopped him.

"Leave it here," she said quietly "it's nice."

Derek shrugged, Christmas music wasn't really his thing but he didn't mind listening to it. He sat back on the couch and both he and Penelope just sat quietly and listened for a while.

"Oh," Penelope said as another song started to play "I love this song."

_It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas._

_Everywhere you go._

_Take a look in the five and ten glistening once again_

_With candy canes and silver lanes aglow. _

_It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,_

_Toys in every store,_

_But the prettiest sight to see,_

_Is the holly that will be,_

_On your own front door._

_A pair of hop-along boots and a pistol that shoots,_

_Is the wish of Barney and Ben,_

_Dolls that will talk and go for a walk,_

_Is the hope of Janice and Jen,_

_Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again._

"This used to be my parents favorite song at Christmas," Penelope said "they would always sing it while we were putting up the Christmas tree."

Derek looked over at Penelope, she looked sad as she told him and she shivered slightly.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"A bit" she answered.

Without thinking Derek reached an arm around Penelope's shoulders and pulled her into his side.

She was tense for a moment but the she relaxed with a contented sigh. "I'm glad we made our truce BEFORE the power went off" she said.

Derek chuckled and pulled her closer "I'd have to concur with you on that."

Penelope grinned and turned to look at him. She was surprised when she got a look at the expression on his face. He was staring at her with longing in his eyes and Penelope's heart caught in her throat.

She couldn't deny that Derek was an attractive man. Even when she hadn't gotten along with him in the past, that didn't stop her subconscious mind at night from creating many a dream featuring him, where she woke up feeling hot and tingly.

She felt her face flush and her heart begin to beat a little faster, biting her lip she stared into his heated chocolate brown eyes.

Derek groaned softly as he watched her "God you're beautiful," he stated.

Penelope's breathing became heavier and she leaned even closer to him.

"Penelope…?" he breathed out.

"Yes…" she answered just as breathless.

"I know this is sudden but…"

Penelope didn't give him a chance to finish; she leaned in and kissed him softly.

"You're amazing" he moaned as she pulled back.

"Derek," Penelope said seriously "I don't want to be just another notch in your belt buckle…"

"Never, I promise" Derek said just as seriously, even though they had never gotten along, he always knew there was something special about her.

"Good," Penelope said, leaning down to kiss him again.

…

Afterwards they lay together panting, Derek on top of Penelope. He leaned down and kissed her intensely, grinning at her when he pulled away. She smiled back, placing a hand on his cheek and running it gently down her face.

Derek caught her hand in his and gently kissed her palm. Then he reached for the blankets that were on the floor and moved them into a more comfortable position on the spacious couch, with him behind her and her back pressed into his front. He pulled the blankets over them before wrapping his arms around Penelope's waist.

Penelope let out a sigh of content and soon they were both fast asleep, cuddled comfortably together.


End file.
